JANUARY 15, 2004
Smoke Signals
Institute For Tribal Government Serving Across The Country
Government continued from front page
"It educated us in many ways," said Tribal
Council member Bob Haller. "It was very use
ful." Classes in Tribal governance have been de
signed to be the national educa
tion system for Tribal leaders.
Information highlights "the un
derlying legal and policy founda
tions" for maintaining effective
Tribal, state and federal relation
ships, according to the Institute's
website (www.tribalgov.pdx.edu
). The focus is on Tribal government "in the mod
ern era."
"Democracy is an interesting thing," said Furse
from her modest office in the Mark O. Hatfield
School of Government at Portland State Univer
sity. "We are not trained for it," but with the
Institute's program, "here's an opportunity to
gather information for three days."
The Harvard School of Government's program
for American legislators served as a model, said
Furse, who attended the Harvard program when
she began serving in Congress in 1992.
The Institute For Tribal Government program,
run by board members from Tribes across the
country, has grown according to the needs on
reservations across the nation. "When we
started," said Furse, "the board said that too
many leaders are dying without their stories
being told." And thus was born a program to
make and preserve audio records of Tribal mem
bers. To date, "the Institute has interviewed 17
great Tribal leaders," said Furse. (See sidebar)
The Institute also supported the newly-opened
Portland State University Indian Student and
Community Center.
Most recently, the Institute has been involved
with some 22 trainings, including two serving
88 Tribal Council members of the Navajos, said
Furse.
And just before Grand Ronde's Restoration
celebration in November (Smoke Signals, 121
03 issue), Furse had returned from a presenta
tion to the United South and Eastern Tribes,
based in Nashville, Tennessee and represent
ing 24 federally recognized Tribes based along
the East Coast.
Funding support for the Institute comes from
the U.S. Department of Education, the Spirit
Mountain Foundation, The Confederated Tribes
of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, the
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, the Coeur
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d'Alene Tribe, the Chickasaw Nation, Confed
erated Tribes of the Warm Springs and the Eliza
beth Furse Scholarship Fund.
Who's Who In The Video Program Of
Grand Ronde Tribal Elder and former Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison
Nisqually Tribal member Billy Frank, Jr.
P Former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Wilma
P. Mankiller
Colville member S. Timothy Wapato
Edward T. Begay, Speaker of the Navajo Nation
Thomas Begay, Navajo Nation Tribal member
Colville Tribal Council member Mel Tonasket
Yupiaq Eskimo Mike Williams, now serving as Chairman of the Alaska
Inter-Tribal Council and Vice Chair of the Alaska State Board of Education.
Great Tribal Leaders Of Modern Times"
Russell Jim, a member of the Yakama Indian Nation currently the
Program Manager of the Environmental Restoration and Waste Man
agement Program for the Tribe.
Eddie L. Tullis, former Chairman of the Poarch Band of Creek
Indians of Alabama, the only federally recognized Tribe in Alabama.
John Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and
former Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund.
Ramona Bennett, a member and former Chairwoman of the
Puyallup Tribe of S.W. Washington.
Anthony Pico, member and former Chairman of the Viejas Band
of Kumeyaay Indians.
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